How to Match Colors From Photos to Real Life
Differences in lighting and device screens can drastically change how a color looks. Here's how to correct for it
Homeowners and designers know what a difference color makes in a home. They can spend hours poring over print and online images in search of the perfect hue. But sometimes the color in the image doesn't end up looking the same on the wall. Why?
"Have you ever bought a piece of clothing online, thinking it's one shade of a particular color, only to find that it's completely different when it arrives?" asks photographer Christopher Stark. "Same goes for photos." We talked with Stark, photographer David Duncan Livingston and designer Jean Verbridge to get the scoop on how you can find and get the perfect color for your walls.
"Have you ever bought a piece of clothing online, thinking it's one shade of a particular color, only to find that it's completely different when it arrives?" asks photographer Christopher Stark. "Same goes for photos." We talked with Stark, photographer David Duncan Livingston and designer Jean Verbridge to get the scoop on how you can find and get the perfect color for your walls.
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| What makes a color look different from space to space? The ambience, look and feel of a color are highly dependent on an area's light and surroundings. The quality of the light in the room and how it hits each object makes a big difference. "The light can create color casts that change the appearance of the colors," says Livingston. "Think of the coolness of fluorescents or the warmth of incandescents." "I usually pick the final color based on the time of day I'll be spending the most time in that room," says Verbridge. "It's also easier and less expensive to purchase small paint samples instead of painting an entire room and finding out you don't like the color." Furniture, trim and accessories can change the look of a color from one room to another as well. |
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| Why do colors look different in photos and online? The changes in color and light in different rooms are captured in photos — and often are more exaggerated, as Livingston illustrates here. While most professional photographers work to correct these color shifts and make the colors clearly, the photos will show up on different devices in different ways. "When an image is reproduced on a laptop, a magazine page or a photographic print, each of the outputs is slightly different, and the colors may shift a bit," says Livingston. Photographers set their monitor colors to the same calibration, which allows them to get very close with color accuracy in postproduction. But the same standard doesn't apply to other devices. "Most consumers are not looking at things on a calibrated monitor," says Stark. "I wouldn't make a major decision that isn't reversible without seeing [the color] in person." |
by Kelly Porter
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How do I get a color I love online into my home? While Verbridge doesn't recommend going with a color listed online or in a magazine — since your own light will likely make it look very different in your space — there's still a way to get the hue you're looking for: Get a hefty supply of paint chips to find a match. "Put the color match next to the photo on your screen and squint your eyes. If the two can blur together, you have a match," says Livingston. Try a few samples from that same paint strip to test in your room to find the best one for your room's lighting and surroundings.
More: Browse Designer-Selected Color Palettes
More: Browse Designer-Selected Color Palettes
Ideabook published on Sept. 22, 2012.
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I have also learned that it's crucial when looking for complementary colors to put the two (or more) colors together. One color can change its hue next to another -- yellow ochre looks more orange next to teal; a red can go magenta next to a blue or orange next to green. Samples -- so much less work than redoing a wall!
Then I get into my paint box and add other colors to tweak. The "greying" of a hue can kill a color if one mixes only wall paint. Light reflects off of other surfaces to change that color again. Then I give that painted swatch to the paint man to mix.
There's more going on than lighting differences, although that's a crucial factor, too. Color is also affected by adjacent colors, and more.
http://sandyatsps.blogspot.com/2012/06/tangible-vs-digital-color-made-simple.html
http://letschipit.com/
I think where your dishwasher is in relation to the sink depends more on where your cabinetry is that dishes will be stored in...
In both homes I have lived in for the past 30 years, the dishwasher was to the LEFT of the sink--
one house had cabinetry across the kitchen with a small island landing zone if you wanted to stack vs transport at one time...
I lived in that kitchen for long time and grew to hate that distance...
Never thought about it when we were buying because 1--we had to make decision/house choice very quickly due to business relocation and 2--I was entranced at the vaulted ceiling and light from large bay window across from the sink...
My current house has DW to left of the sink with built-in cabinetry using roll out shelves on bottom and glass-door upper cabs...
I can store all my daily plates and cultlery in that cab while standing at the DW...
my glasses go next to refrig which is around the island...
still a walk from DW but so much better than our previous home...
Personal preference would have ALL dish/glass storage within a hand's reach of DW but today's kitchen are often not that design due to other configurations in house...
I also have a huge pantry in current home--tall ceiling, 12 ft wall of open shelving with space to add two rolling carts...
the only thing missing is an electrical outlet for charging...
we bought vacation home in FL that had kitchen remodel couple of years before...they added a GE SS vent hood with curved lower edge...
it is WAY to low for my comfort and others when cooking--
we have repeatedly hit our heads on the very sharp edges of the curved bottom...
I don't care about how low it has to be to capture the fumes and vapor of the items cooking...
we are going to have it raised (apparently they added a SS section to the normal shaft that connects to the ceiling (8ft) and intentionally lowered the hood...you can see the added length at top of the shaft...
IF they had left it at original drop length there would be no problem...
VERY dangerous depending on height of person cooking...
1. The worlds of additive color (like a monitor that EMITS light) and subtractive color (in real life color that REFLECTS light) never, ever synchronize. Ever. The squinting the eyes business and it's a match if they blend is ridiculous. I've been doing virtual color consultations for ten years and there are color strategies to bridge the difference between additive and subtractive. Telling a client to just squint is not one of those strategies.
2. Subtractive color is not limited to just CMYK. Paint is a good example, paint color formulas are nothing like ink and do not use CMYK based color systems. But paint, like ink, still resides in the subtractive color space.
3. Hex codes or RGB Values are akin to the additive color space and are totally meaningless in the subtractive color space where in real life colors reside.
3. Don't put a white border around your color samples - incredibly bad advice. Here's why: http://tinyurl.com/cqajcl3
4. I agree typical materials used for painting color samples fail to mimic paint film applied to the substrate (the wall). I use Swatch Rights paint peel and stick color sample decals for that very reason. www.swatchright.com. Yes, it's my product. I invented it and have it manufactured because this is the tool I needed to do my job as a color consultant.
5. Don't assume all colors on one strip of paint colors are related in any way whatsoever. Many people assume that the strips are the same color, just different values. That is sometimes true but not very often. Here's how it really works: http://tinyurl.com/mj7nxpw
6. Stuff like "Chip It" are color toys not tools. Don't confuse the two.
7. "Just repaint" is a helluva lot easier said than done.
At this point, I've likely worn out my welcome and posted way too many links to my own stuff. So I'll stop now.